Chief Operating Officer - East Market

Paradox; Duluth (MN); On-site; USD 413,000 - 619,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

401(k) with employer contributions

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Essentia Health seeks an operations executive to run the East Market’s hospitals, clinics, and post-acute services. You will own market performance, drive financial results, productivity, quality and patient experience, and coach cross-functional leaders across a system spanning multiple hospitals.

You will lead with physicians, manage labor relations, oversee construction, and push toward value-based care while developing the leadership bench across East Market communities in Duluth and

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of senior health care operations leadership in a complex system, at least five at the executive level.
• Proven results in finance, operations, and clinical quality.
• Experience partnering with physicians and unions to deliver results.

Responsibilities

• Run daily operations for the East Market’s hospitals, clinics, and post-acute services.
• Own the market’s performance: financial results, productivity, quality, safety, patient experience, and growth.
• Build common operating practices with peer executives across the system.
• Lead with physician and advanced practice leaders to deliver clinical and operational results.
• Manage labor relations and negotiate with unions in partnership with HR leadership.
• Oversee major construction within operating hospitals and clinics on time and budget.
• Move care delivery toward value with emphasis on access, affordability, and follow-up.

Skills

Executive leadership

Union leadership

Lean

Change leadership

Leadership development

Physician partnerships

Education

Graduate degree (health care administration / MBA / nursing)

Job description

Building Location:

Building D - Miller Dwan Medical Center - EH Duluth

Department:

2048020 SMDC ADMINISTRATION - SMDC HOSP

Job Description:

Essentia Health is hiring the operations executive for our East Market: nine hospitals across northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, from St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth, the region’s Level I trauma center, to critical access hospitals serving some of the most rural communities in the Upper Midwest, together with the clinics and post-acute services connected to them. It is the largest operating portfolio in our system, and it reports to Essentia’s system Chief Operating Officer. The East Market COO owns the market’s performance and works daily with the system Chief Operating Officer, peer operations executives, and physician leaders. It is work for someone who has run many hospitals, not one; who has delivered quality and margin in the same year; and who is at their best leading through physicians, labor partners, and frontline teams.

Education Qualifications:

Graduate degree in health care administration, business administration, nursing, or a related field

The Role:

• Run daily operations for the East Market’s hospitals, clinics, post-acute services.
• Answer for the market’s performance: financial results, productivity, quality and safety, patient experience, and growth.
• Build common operating practices with peer operations executives across the system.
• Lead alongside physician and advanced practice leaders, and deliver clinical and operational results with them.
• Carry the labor relationship: durable, constructive relationships with our unions, in partnership with the Chief Human Resources Officer.
• Deliver major construction inside operating hospitals and clinics safely, on schedule, and on budget.
• Move care delivery toward value: access, affordability, and reliable follow-up after discharge.
• Build the leadership bench: hire, develop, and retain the operators who run the market.

Required Experience:

• Ten or more years of senior health care operations leadership in a complex system, at least five at the executive level.
• Results at scale in finance, operations, and clinical quality.
• Decisions on record that favored the larger organization over your own unit.
• Physician partnership that produced results, not just relationships.
• Leadership in a union environment, including through negotiations and hard moments.
• Range as a communicator: equally credible with frontline staff and a governing board.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Operating experience across tertiary, community, and critical access settings.
• Command of Lean or a comparable improvement discipline, practiced rather than referenced.
• Multi-year change leadership with daily performance held steady throughout.
• A record of developing leaders who advanced.
• A leadership style at home in a mission-driven organization.

Work Location:

• This role is on-site, based in Duluth, Minnesota, with regular presence across East Market communities.

Licensure/Certification Qualifications:

FTE:

1

Possible Remote/Hybrid Option:

Shift Rotation:

Day Rotation (United States of America)

Shift Start Time:

Shift End Time:

Weekends:

Holidays:

No

Call Obligation:

No

Union:

Union Posting Deadline:

Compensation Range:

$412,672.00 - $619,008.00

Employee Benefits at Essentia Health:At Essentia Health, we’re committed to supporting your well-being, growth, and work-life balance. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, along with supplemental options to fit your needs. We offer a 401(k) plan with employer contributions to help you plan for the future, and we invest in your professional development through training, tuition reimbursement, and educational programs. To help you thrive both at work and at home, we provide flexible scheduling, generous time off, and wellness resources focused on your physical, mental, and emotional health. Please note that benefit eligibility may vary. For full details, refer to your benefit summary or contact our HR Service Center at [phone].